Jimmyred

I definitely will be looking at all options. Thank you.

I believe that that is where my panel goes. The mounting screws appear to be at the same place. I will have to look at what the mounting screws are mounted to to see if they can be moved up. I am working on obtaining a fuel selector right now. I really appreciate the suggestion. Thank you.

Unless it's your horse.

Thank you too.

I think that people should know what my experience was with Don Maxwell Aviation. I hope what happened to me doesn't happen to them. Maybe, people will think oh if he would have done this, or done that, it wouldn't have happened. But I think people should know what happened and how I was treated. So they can make a informed decision. That's all.

This is why I discussed with Don, before any work was started, that the controls could be repaired or replaced. But since they refused to keep me in the loop as to what they were doing, even though I requested it many times, I was not given the option on having the original throttle repaired or taking a grinder to my brand new panel.

Yes, I am very disappointed. I trusted my plane to them and they let me down.

Or the original could have been repaired. There are shops that do that. This is what I told Don when I took it in. However, I guess what really hurt was that he just abandoned me. He took my money and then said your on your own.

Thank you for the suggestion!

No, that throttle was not on the airplane when I brought it in NOR did I provide it. I wouldn't expect that they would grind into my panel without my consent anymore than taking a Sawzall to the side of the fuselage to work on the trim screw! I said to Don that they were sticky and may need to be replaced or repaired. Not do major surgery and replace them at all cost! No this isn't even close. What they did was pure laziness and incompetence.

No. I discussed that all three controls were sticky and needed to be repaired or replaced. And this is the problem that until the mechanic looks at it then how can you know what the best options are? Could I have basically wrote up a contract of all the things, that may have been needed to be replaced, repaired, should new parts be used, old parts be used, what should happen if they damage something, etc. But really is that really possible, to anticipate every possible scenario before a mechanic even looks at it? No, I don't think so. What is reasonable is that when the customer ask to talk to the mechanic every two days or so, so that both side understands what they found and agreeing on a course of action, that that is reasonable. And that didn't happen even though I requested it multiple times.

Believe me I called them many times and tried to talk to the mechanic. And I did actually drive down there to try to see what was going on. I would talk to Christa, on the phone, and I did say that I didn't feel comfortable not knowing what was going on. Yet she said that unless I had a "specific" question then all she could do was read from the list. And, like you say, it is a fine line of not bugging them and trying to make sure the work is being done properly. And I can say that no one there took any time to help me with my concerns.

Nope, no cross words were said. I addressed what I found on my flight back and asked how we should address them. I said that I was under the impression that they were a premiere Mooney shop. Once I brought up that they had cut into my panel he stated, "I am done with you" and hung up. That's it.

Or Don Maxwell Aviation could have called me and said that they were about to grind into my brand new panel. And ask if I was cool with that? They had replaced all of the controls but instead of getting one that fit like the old one they ordered one that didn't fit and so they got their grinder out and made it fit! If they would have spent 15 minutes and called me I would NOT have allowed them to grind my new panel and the old one could be repaired. There are shops to do that but I was not given that option. Anyone with half a brain should know that you don't take a grinder to a brand new panel like this. This is not acceptable and the blame falls directly with Don Maxwell Aviation! And when I called and brought this up with Don Maxwell he said, "I am done with you" and hung up! That is the service I got from Don Maxwell Aviation.

I would not call Don Maxwell Aviation a premiere shop. When I repeatedly ask about my plane all I got was Christa saying, "If I had a specific question she would relay it". How can you have a question when you don't even know what they are doing to your plane? And my fears were realized when I got my plane back and they GRINDED OUT part of my brand new, $100k, panel! No call, no e-mail, they just grinded it out! Now it says "ottle"! Really, this is the work of a great shop?

Oh, thank you so much! That's exactly what I need!

I just found out about them. I am going to definitely give him a call. I have a really good general mechanic on the field here in Prineville but I would like a knowledgeable Mooney specialist too. I was so spoiled when LASAR was owned by Paul and Robert was the manager. I want this plane to be 100% dependable.

I used them for my front gear overhaul and that went well. I then had them work on my engine but I can not recommend them since they put my magneto upside down. Which I found out when I did a magneto check on it. That was a while ago so maybe things have changed since then.

So, today I am going to the hanger to asses what I will need to do to get my plane airworthy. Since I can't fly it with a stuck fuel selector valve. And see why my trim is sticking and the auto-trim won't move it. After Don Maxwell Aviation was supposed to have "fixed" it. It may be that when they put on the trim cover on it is pushing against the seat. I can't be sure since they charged me $110 for the part and a half hour of labor to screw it on. I don't know if it was ever tested or not.

Unfortunately, that is not the service I received. After paying $26,000 they showed me nothing of the work they did. When I asked about what they did to the fuel tanks Don didn't know and didn't have me meet with the mechanic that did the work. When I asked about the Gami injectors that they installed he didn't give me any information other than, "there is a video on what to do" somewhere. Again, nothing! He didn't have any problem taking the check that was cashed almost immediately.

You have no idea who is actually doing the work. Christa is the gatekeeper. Everything has to go through her. So, if she calls you back, it will be second hand information. Other than the logbook entries I was not given any information on what they did to my plane. When I ask Don, while I was writing out a $26,000 check, what they did on my fuel tank he said, "I don't know but they fixed it". That's it. They gave me the keys and I had to find my plane. It was while flying back to Oregon I found out that the tank wasn't "fixed". It did exactly the same thing that it did before. And when I called him and told him that, and that they had grinded into my brand new panel, and that the fuel selector wasn't fixed he said, "I am done with you" and hung up! That's the service I got at Don Maxwell Aviation.

What you are saying is what I was hoping for. Communication. Maybe it's unfair but I had worked with Paul and Sheri Lowen who owned LASAR. Their shop foreman was Robert and he was the greatest. I really felt like my Mooney was in good hands and that I could keep updated on the work being done. I was hoping to get that kind of service from Don Maxwell Aviation but that definitely didn't happen. I was not allowed to talk to anyone who knew what was going on on my plane. Even after I spent $26,000, nothing! In fact Christa, who is the gatekeeper, said that most people "just throw down their credit card on $150k bills". So I took that that I was just some small fish and should just shut up and be happy that they would even take on my plane! All they did was take my check, give me the keys, and send me on my way. I was on my own to find out that the tank wasn't "fixed". That the fuel selector wasn't fixed AND they grinded into my brand new panel!

I have to say that I can not recommend Don Maxwell Aviation. I wanted them to look at many things on my Mooney M20J by, who I thought, was a premiere Mooney shop. One of the things that I wanted them to look at was a fuel leak in my tank. I would call to see what they found out but I wasn't allowed to talk to the mechanic on what they found or what they were doing to my plane. It was only when they said that the plane was "finished" that I could ask Don what they had done to repair the leak. He said he didn't know what they had done but that it was "fixed". That is all I got for my $1500 of service! I spent over $26,000 on so called repairs. On my flight back from Texas I found that the leak had not been fixed. It did exactly the same thing that it did before spending the $1500. I also found that they didn't fix the sticky fuel selector valve. It was so bad that I had to use two hands to switch tanks! But the worse that they did was to my new panel! I requested that they replace my throttle since the old one was sticky. To do this they grinded into my BRAND NEW panel! I spent almost $100k on the avionics and the brand new panel now has been grinded so that above the throttle is says "ottle"! Nobody called me to tell me that they were going to grind into my new panel! And since no one went over what was done, other than the bill, when I got the plane back I didn't find these things until the flight back to Oregon. So when I called today to talk to Don and told him of these things he said that the fuel tank repair wasn't guaranteed. I said that I expected more from a premiere shop. Then he said, "I am done with you" and hung up!" So I can not recommend Don Maxwell Aviation for their service or communication. They have many Mooney's so maybe my experience doesn't represent what others have experienced. But I would say buyer beware because after the check clears they may be "done with you" too!

This is what I am starting with. Here is the tentative list going in. Garmin G3X 10.6 PFD W/ engine monitor. Garmin GTN 750Xi Primary com/gps Garmin GMA 350 Primary Audio Garmin GTX 345 Primary ADS-b transponder Garmin G5 PFD Back up. Garmin G5 DG Back up Garmin GNC 215 Back up com Garmin GDL 51r XM receiver Garmin GMC 507 Autopilot control head Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot New panel cutout While doing this the whole electrical will be replaced. Also: Aeroleds Nav/Pos/Strobe New LED rotating beacon New LED panel light New LED dome light 2 - New USB ports for I-Pads. 2 - Cigarette lighter ports New throttle, mixture, prop. controls This is what I am starting with.